Midnight Fire
by nicol-leoraine
Summary: Short tag to Midnight or What went through the Doctor's head in those last minutes.


A/N: First of all, sorry to everyone who's waiting for my new chapter on the NCIS fic. I'm stuck. That's the reason why I wrote this episode tag to Midnight, hopefully it will wake up my muse some. Anyway, this is my first foray into the Doctor Who fandom. I love the show and I watched every episode of this new series and I am a total Tennant fan. Thus, watching the last episode I felt compelled to add my six cents, hopefully, it'll make some sense. Enjoy and let me know what you think please.

Warning: This wasn't beta read, so any mistakes are solely mine.

**Midnight Fire**

"It's gone. It's gone, it's gone, it's gone," the doctor repeated over and over again as his body fell to the ground, eyes closing in relief from the pain and fear. His two hearts were still beating in wild rhythm, but the pressure vanished, the tight squeezing pain transformed into a momentary relief. The sweat started drying on his skin, while his mind tried to ward off the turmoil. He wasn't in control. In all those years, all those regenerations, he never felt so out of control of himself. So _scared_ for himself. Because he lost control and there was _no one_ to help him. No Martha to put him into cryo-stasis, no Donna to slap him back to reality, and no Rose to save him. He was alone. There was seven people squeezed in a small ship, breathing the same air as him, but he was alone as some _thing_ stole his voice, stole his control.

"I always said it was her," spoke the woman, the mother who just minutes ago called for his death. The doctor looked at her, old and weary and she turned away, caught at the lie.

The silence stretched, uncomfortable as ever. He could still hear the voice repeating stolen words in his head. Still felt the unbelievable fear as he realised he couldn't move, couldn't think. While his mouth let out the being's words, his mind was screaming so loud it hurt. There was a war inside his head that no one else was privy to, a war he started to win. Just few words, they were all it took as the entity became too sure of itself, too excited. Two words and the doctor wasn't alone any more. Because someone heard him, heard the shouting inside his head and knew it was him, even as the others were fighting with his body, trying to drag him out to the killing sun. Why was it always the creatures of sun that took hold over him? Be it on a ship or a planet, it was always something from the heat, burning with fire that managed to invade his mind. Just like the image of a burning Gallifrey.

With a shake of a head, the Doctor blinked only to realise that the rescue party had arrived.

"Are you all right, sir?" Asked a man in a stewards uniform and the Doctor looked up, putting on a fake smile.

"Why sure, thanks for your concern. I'm always fine." He popped up onto his legs, absent mindedly running a hand through his hair, before starting to ask questions about how they're planning to get them out. He let his mind be filled with the technicalities, thinking of what Donna might be doing, if she heard that something happened or not. He even went as far as joining the pilots in the cabin of the rescue shuttle and coercing them to pull up the shields just a little, to take a look outside. But despite his squinting and searching, he didn't see any shadows, any motion, only the sparkling of the diamonds as the shield came back and he was sent to take a seat and buckle up.

This time the cabin was silent. No one spoke, no one argued. They were just sitting there, contemplating. The Doctor looked around at all the faces, at the people that were so quick to judge, to send someone to death, and not for the first time he wondered just why did he fell in love with this species. They had such a big capacity to hurt each other it was a wonder that they were still alive. That they would keep staying alive and fighting across the time, he realised with a grimace as he remembered his traipse at the end of the universe.

It took three hours to arrive back to the resort and still the cabin was silent. No one dared to say a word and when some people from the security approached them, the Doctor just showed his psychic paper and without another word made his way out, ignoring the stunned look and the questions that came after. He quickened his steps and made his way to where he last saw Donna, suddenly in great need to see her, to see that she was safe. When she hugged him, he hugged back with all it's worth, happy to feel her, to know that he wasn't alone anymore. He let out a deep breath as the tension left his body. Only now did he allow himself to breath freely, knowing that Donna was the last person to kick him out into the killing sun just because he started talking non sense.

She asked what happened and she told her, in dry voice, because he couldn't allow anything else. His mind was too raw yet, too hurt from the fiery invasion. Still, he didn't need to tell her about his fear, about the panic. She could see it all in his eyes, in his face. She could hear it in his voice when she made the mistake and stole his words.

"Don't, Donna. Don't do that. Just... don't," he said and she nodded, seeing what it cost him.

"Well, I think I had enough of this sun, you know too much of it and I'll be red like a tomato, which isn't funny," she retorted and slapped the Doctor on the arm when he grinned at the idea.

"Why don't you grab your things then, and I will wait in the Tardis," the Doctor said, suddenly yearning for the feel of his ship. Donna nodded and they separated. The Doctor stood before the Tardis and raised his hand, ready to snap his fingers, when a rush of cold stopped him dead. There was no wind at the resort, no reason for the goosebumps on his hands and neck. Yet he felt it, the sudden cold and closed his eyes. He let his hand fell and reached into his pocket to feel the reassuring touch of the Tardis key, to feel that it was still there. When he opened his eyes, they were full of fear and anticipation, because he remembered the last time he felt this way and he never wanted to feel it again.

He was standing there, frozen, and didn't hear Donna sneaking up on him.

"What it is? What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the look in his eyes.

"Nothing," he started, but then shook his head. "I don't know Donna. But it will be bad."

"What?"

"Another storm is coming," he said gravely, then grinned as if nothing happened and entered the Tardis, leaving Donna standing outside, dumbstruck.

"Well, are you coming or what?" he shouted at her, his voice once again full of nervous energy and Donna followed him, because despite his words, she was sure in one thing. The Doctor needed company more than any other being she ever knew.

The End


End file.
